Gurnee ready for season’s first snowfall — whenever it comes
BY ED COLLINS Special to The News-Sun December 3, 2012 6:12PM
A snow plow decorated with handprints from an open house at the public works department for the Village of Gurnee. | Thomas Delany Jr.~ Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 2, 2013 2:20AM
GURNEE — The mild fall weather we’ve had recently can be deceptive, according to Jim Angel, a state climatologist.
Studies show a possible increase in snowfall in the Great Lakes region during the months of January through March that could result from La Nina. However, normal temperature ranges in Northern Illinois are expected to prevail, he says.
Angel is predicting “an increased chance of above-normal precipitation across Illinois as a result of a weak La Nina warming now occurring in the Pacific.”
Gurnee Public Works Director Tom Rigwood says he is ready for the first snowfall. Rigwood said the village has 4,200 tons of road salt on hand and an ample supply of beet juice and calcium chloride (GeoMelt) on hand to melt ice on slick roadways.
“From a supplies and equipment standpoint, we are in good shape,” he said.
Plow routes have been mapped out, truck drivers are now assigned, radio communications have been tested and major road priorities have been identified, Rigwood said.
He said the village’s streets are usually cleared within four hours after a typical snowfall.
